Caricatures are the true testament if you are a good sport with the ability to laugh at yourself or not! It's fascinating how polarizing they can be.
As a surprise valentine, I received a caricature of myself...flattered by the thoughtful gift yes, but at the same time, eye opening! Thinking the artist had missed the mark, even though there was some resemblance, I inspected the caricatures of others around me. Finding myself chuckling over their similarities, I couldn't help but smile when coming back to mine. Yep, it was actually executed with more than a hint of reality.
Sharing my self awareness with others verified a chorus in unison - "caricatures magnify imperfections"!!!
Interestingly, caricature stems from the Italian verb that means “to load” with its true purpose being to exaggerate certain features, pack as many into a portrait as possible while expressing the person's essence balanced with recognizability.
This prompted my curiosity of the origins.
In the 17th century, Caricature emerged as a distinct art form with the works of an Italian artist named Annibale Caracci. Caracci's concept was called the "antithesis of beauty." Rather than following the normal trend of the time which was to imbue subjects with as much beauty as possible, the caricature drawing was intended to produce a portrait that was loaded with meaning. This early form of caricatures was the province of the rich who had them produced for amusement.
http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Brief-History-of-Caricatures&id=455238
A recent party allowed for a second attempt (Thanks, Dave!) - much happier with the outcome, I'm here to tell you that it is possible to genuinely smile with the finished product reflection...
But, be sure to give the artist specific instruction, "ACCENTUATE MY POSITIVES" if you want to be happy with the end result!
The Painted Memory
www.thepaintedmemory.com
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